Experienced technology friend: Newegg takes wraps off conversational AI online shopping experience
Newegg, a specialist in computer and technology products, has unveiled a conversational AI shopping experience that lets people move from idea to cart in one place.
Customers can describe what they're looking for in plain language and refine through conversation - asking the assistant to swap a part, adjust the shopping budget, or prioritise a different specification, without restarting the search.
The assistant carries that context, surfacing the right products as the conversation develops. Items added to the cart remain accessible from a side panel within the experience, allowing customers to review their build and check out without ever leaving the conversation. Throughout, the assistant draws from Newegg's live catalogue, including current pricing, real-time inventory, Shell Shocker deals, OpenBox listings, and Combos, and is planned to integrate directly with the retailer’s proprietary build tools such as PC Builder and PC Upgrade.
"Tech shopping involves a lot of reasoning about specs, trade-offs, budget, fit, with what you already own. Our new AI assistant is built to think through all of that the way an experienced tech friend would, surfacing the right options, and staying with you from the first question all the way to checkout, without you ever leaving the conversation,” says Jim Tseng, VP of Newegg Product Management.
Beyond the storefront experience, the same conversational AI also lives as an on-page assistant available from any page on Newegg.com. The on-page assistant focuses on product questions, compatibility checks, and deal guidance, helping customers as they browse the storefront without interrupting their flow.
Additional AI platform integrations are in development. The conversational shopping experience and the on-page assistant are available now to all online visitors on desktop and mobile. Personalised recommendations and saved chat history are available to signed-in Newegg account holders.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
